# Your attention please!



## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

There has been a lot of PMing going on by newer members to our more seasoned members asking about Cuban cigars, either hinting at or outright asking for sources, sometimes even asking for actual cigars.

Many of our experienced members are tiring of it and even contemplating leaving or being less active and visible in the forum. Some of them have posted about this publicly but many of them have not, instead letting us know privately.

Out of respect for these members and the forum rules do not do this. A good way to look at what is or is not appropriate here is if you want to ask something that would not be acceptable in a public thread, don't do it by PM.

These mature members have a lot to offer the membership and it would be a shame if they pulled back or left because of the selfishness and immaturity of some of our newer members. Patience and courtesy go a long way toward developing character and a good reputation here. If you want instant gratification this may not be the hobby for you and you might spoil it for the rest of us.

Best thing to do is respect the rules that are in place and enjoy what this forum has to offer. Failure to follow the rules will result in warnings and more severe consequences.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

Agreed. Do you think you should post this in the regular forum also? I know it took a while before I even got to see the habanos section


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## Habano (Jul 5, 2010)

Well said David and I couldn't agree more.

I wish there was a way we could post some type of warning page that new members must click on or consent to before accessing the Habano forums. Not only would it be a one time click and it's gone forever, I'd make it so it pops up every time for new members for at least 30 days to remind them and stick the rules into their heads.

Obviously it's getting a little out of hand for a mod to take the time and post this thread.


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## fivespdcat (Nov 16, 2010)

Big +1 on this, let's all be respectful to each other and that includes leaching off of people!


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

Well put David.



> Best thing to do is respect the rules that are in place,*and members,* and enjoy what this forum has to offer. Failure to follow the rules will result in warnings and more severe consequences.


If you are going to PM a member for a question or anything, be polite. I can't stand rude people and alot will agree with me on that. 
I understand that some people don't have very good writing skills, but being pushy, rude, or disrespectful shouldn't be tolerated by anyone of Puff. 
If you ask a member a question, just remember they are like a teacher (they know what you want to know). We are asking them for advice and we should do it with respect.


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

E Dogg said:


> Agreed. Do you think you should post this in the regular forum also? I know it took a while before I even got to see the habanos section


I would have thought that it's being done mostly by members who have access to the habanos section. We'll have to check and see if that's the case. Many of the new members in the habanos section think that forum is their ticket to mooch cigars or sources. Members take care of that pretty well in here but PMing is the next thing they try and it's getting out of hand, not to mention the pushiness and air of entitlement that's already been mentioned more than once in this thread.


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

well said!


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## ssutton219 (Apr 17, 2007)

WOW...

I dont know what to say...i guess its sad...

I never had to PM a member for a source...i did my research and digging and became real friends with the guys and STILL never have had to ask...

If you are here for free sticks...

GTFO


Shawn


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## CeeGar (Feb 19, 2007)

ssutton219 said:


> WOW...
> 
> I dont know what to say...i guess its sad...
> 
> ...


+1. Respect and trust is earned.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Well said David.... I'll give you an :amen:

As to the PM's, I say this :mad2::kicknuts:


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

I will be a little more plain about this.

The FOGentlemen in this section of Puff are ALL my friends. I would take a bullet for a true friend. 

When you gain access to this forum, you are first and foremost, expected to be on your best behavior. This is not some Disneyland E-ticket to free Cubans. You are expected to have paid your dues, done your own homework and be resourceful. If you haven't, you're an immature, opportunistic idiot, who DOES NOT BELONG HERE.

Trust me, when I say, I will bring all my effort to bear down upon you, who do not read, understand and ABIDE by the rules and -especially- the VALUES of this section.

To be even more clear, you will have your privileges here revoked and, if I have any say in it (and I do), BANNED.

Get it?

Finally, I really like the fact that I am generally considered a "nice guy", but I am here to tellya, you mess with THIS bull, you ARE gonna get horns.


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## NoShhhSherlock (Mar 30, 2011)

Well said by all of you, No need to scare away some great BOTL because of a new members lack of searching


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## WyldKnyght (Apr 1, 2011)

Having access to this section is a privileged not a right... Show some respect and smarten up dumba$$.


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## tobacmon (May 17, 2007)

Well stated and could not agree more with what many are saying here. Research on your own and you will find that after many months and posting in the threads you will earn the respect and fortune of many B & SOTL here.

Thanks for posting this David-----


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## Tredegar (Nov 27, 2007)

I have pretty much gone it alone since I started down this path. I have only asked one or two questions, not here, and have pretty much gone by my intuition and curiosity to see what is out there. I read this forum, and several others, and sort of amalgamate this info into some coherent database to guide me. It has served me well to generally keep my mouth shut and my ears open, if you will. Now I know there is a lot more information out there that I can't even start to fathom, but over time, I believe I will find it.


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## ssutton219 (Apr 17, 2007)

:bump2:

:nod:

:usa2:

:cowboyic9:


Mid morning bump



Shawn


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

If someone who is an active participating member of this forum has a polite question, it will be answered in kind. I think the problem arises when the first action of someone is to try to get something rather than to share. 

I am angered that some seem to try to take advantage of our most respected members.

Generosity, not greed, is the hallmark of a true brother of the leaf.


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## Oldmso54 (Jul 31, 2010)

Herf N Turf said:


> I will be a little more plain about this.
> 
> The FOGentlemen in this section of Puff are ALL my friends. I would take a bullet for a true friend.
> 
> ...


++1 - I would HATE to see ANY of our seasoned veterans leave Puff over an issue like this! Glad for the post and hope EVERYONE, new, not so new or old - ABIDES!


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## hoosiers2006 (Nov 23, 2010)

bpegler said:


> Generosity, not greed, is the hallmark of a true brother of the leaf.


+1:nod:


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

bpegler said:


> If someone who is an active participating member of this forum has a polite question, it will be answered in kind. I think the problem arises when the first action of someone is to try to get something rather than to share.
> 
> I am angered that some seem to try to take advantage of our most respected members.
> 
> Generosity, not greed, is the hallmark of a true brother of the leaf.


:usa2: Well said I quoted Bob because what he said best describes my opinion, of course we talk about things among friends. Learn to be our friend first please!

I also stand behind All Admins and the Mods and will help in anyway I can.

Thanks

Dave


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## Perfecto Dave (Nov 24, 2009)

*I had noticed a few who I used to see almost every day not posting up much any more. This made me sad. Now I know why. This made me sad.
It would be a shame to have a group of young whipper snappers show up and chase off our friends. What the hell is wrong with kids these days? Silver spoon in mouth, lap top under their arm....just makes me sad. The we want it now(even though we haven't earned it) generation. 
The reason you have two ears and one mouth is you're supposed to listen twice as much as you speak. It's by design not accident!
OK...done being sad, now I'm mad.

All that being said.....EVERYONE with EARNED privileges should be welcome here. Just make it a rule...if you PM someone about vendor sources and they're not on your "friends list" and you have never talked to them about anything else. YOU ARE BANNED FOR LIFE. OK, maybe the first offense is only 30 days in tent city.
See....I really do have a heart.

Hope to see our friends back soon. :usa2:
*

edit.....you also must have a trader feedback equal to or greater than Smelvis before you can ask for CC vendor sources........


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## usrower321 (Mar 27, 2011)

Read and understood! I would never want to discourage someone from puff. Even if it is a FOG. :wink:

All kidding aside I really appreciate all the advice and generosity puff has given me and wouldn't want to do anything to compromise it.


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## djangos (Mar 14, 2011)

Absolutely!! This is really concerning! Hopefully the new members will be careful in the future!


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

bpegler said:


> If someone who is an active participating member of this forum has a polite question, it will be answered in kind. I think the problem arises when the first action of someone is to try to get something rather than to share.
> 
> I am angered that some seem to try to take advantage of our most respected members.
> 
> *Generosity, not greed, is the hallmark of a true brother of the leaf.*


Absolutely magnificent, Bob. You are constantly reminding me of why you're on my friends list 



smelvis said:


> Learn to be our friend first please!
> 
> Dave


This pretty much encapsulates the issue! Well said, Dave.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

I seem to be breaking my personal rule against consecutive posts a lot lately, but we are very concerned about this issue.

Going forward, we want to encourage EVERY MEMBER to take charge and be more dilligent about reporting incidences of farming. Be clear that regardless of whether you are contacted in open forum, by private message, or email, if you are in the least made to feel uncomfortable by the correspondence, REPORT IT! Trust me, we will take swift action.

Perhaps not everyone is aware that you can report a Private Message. Here's how: if you look at the top-right corner of the PM screen, there's an icon that reads, "Report As Spam." It works identically to the little warning icon in the user panel, which doesn't appear in PM. It goes directly to the Moderator board and will be seen almost instantaneously. There's even a box for your comments, just like a normal, open forum report.

Point is, it's up to YOU to help us police this.

The Mod Team


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## bdw1984 (May 6, 2009)

Thank you Dave, Don and the rest of the FOGs who have contributed to this thread. It is sad that many of the older members have left this forum as a result of immaturity and blatant rule violations. Many of them are the guys who have taught me what I know today... I myself have considered leaving the board as a result of the wave of new members who don't take the time to do their homework, make friends and build collections themselves. Bottom line, if you are new, take the time to read, listen, learn and build friendships. I have made some very good friends as a result of my stay at Puff. Stick around awhile and I assure you that you will too.

Ben


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

bazookajoe said:


> There has been a lot of PMing going on by newer members to our more seasoned members asking about Cuban cigars, either hinting at or outright asking for sources, sometimes even asking for actual cigars.
> 
> Many of our experienced members are tiring of it and even contemplating leaving or being less active and visible in the forum. Some of them have posted about this publicly but many of them have not, instead letting us know privately.
> 
> ...


:bump2::bump2::bump2::bump2::bump2:

Thank you Sir you are a gentleman!
Now Take That LOL!

:fencing::fencing::fencing:


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## gator_79 (Sep 16, 2009)

Well said...and I can't agree more. I love this site, I try to read it everyday, most days several times throughtout the day. There are many great people here and I would hate to see them go due to some irresponsibe postings.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Gentlemen,

While I stand fast in my assertions that farming will not be tolerated, I must, in retrospect, tell you that there's a BIG difference between farming for cigars and farming for help and information. There's is an immediate example on the table where I myself initially misinterpreted a members actions as inappropriate, based on the definition of one I consider a dear and close friend.

Upon further investigation and circumspect analysis, I now realize that the individual was quite sincerely looking for insight and education. For my interpretation and hastiness, I categorically apologize.

The point in this post is simply to say two things. First, the tidal wave of newer members to both the general forums and also to these sacred and restricted areas has perhaps made us a little "thin-skinned". Many of us have become so annoyed with the malfeasance of these folk, that we've grown prone to pigeon holing them all into one lot. This is terrible mistake at best and discouraging and alienating to a potential fine BOTL at worst. Second, I want to encourage all of us (myself first) to be more thoughtful and contemplative in our assumptions. 

We must all be ever-aware that the written word is fraught with potential for misinterpretation and that not every member here is Shakespeare.

Thanks for reading and thinking,
Don


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Wow Don very cool bro WTG I was reading through mine as I said above and no one went overboard to the bad extent. I was relieved. You need to hang around me you know I have about the thickest skin on Puff!! J/K Of Course about the skin thingy!

Still need to be steady and keep us on track!


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## bcannon87 (Sep 8, 2010)

+1 For everything that has been said! I have always lived by the attage (i know i am still a young'an and havent been livin too long) if you can work hard and get it on your own dont ask for it! At least that is what my Father always told me. I feel like everybody else here, if you are here looking for a hand out you do not need to be here.


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## Firedawg (Nov 8, 2010)

Asking for smokes is just bad form. Asking for info well...


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